International

• Friday, October 13th 2017 - 14:56 UTC

  Swiss prosecutors will help with 2016 Rio Olympics corruption investigation

  

  Federal prosecutors in Switzerland have agreed to help Brazilian authorities investigating Olympic official Carlos Nuzman, who is suspected of vote-buying in a corruption conspiracy linked to the Rio de Janeiro Games.

• Friday, October 13th 2017 - 14:05 UTC

  Ryanair set to challenge Lufthansa deal to buy failed Air Berlin

  

  Ryanair is set to challenge a Lufthansa deal to buy parts of failed German carrier Air Berlin. The budget Irish airline said it would take the €210m deal to European competition authorities.

• Friday, October 13th 2017 - 13:55 UTC

  Falklands' democracy and coming elections praised by FCO minister

  

  The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Alan Duncan has expressed his admiration for Falklands democracy. Speaking of the Islands General Election to be held on November 9 he said: “From many years of personal experience I can attest to the significance of democracy in action. Election Days are both exciting and purposeful and should provoke both qualities.”

• Friday, October 13th 2017 - 12:52 UTC

  HSBC names John Flint as next CEO; JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup profits up

  

  Banking giant HSBC has named John Flint, current head of retail banking and wealth management, as its new boss. Mr Flint, who takes over from outgoing chief executive Stuart Gulliver, will start his new role next February.

• Friday, October 13th 2017 - 12:33 UTC

  EU chief negotiator says Brexit talks are stuck in a state of deadlock

  

  The European Union's chief negotiator on Brexit talks says negotiations with the United Kingdom are stuck in a state of deadlock. The EU wants to know what divorce bill Britain is prepared to pay before talks go any further. British officials, on the other hand, want to begin trade talks now, before they commit billions.

• Friday, October 13th 2017 - 12:24 UTC

  Ozone layer threatened by compounds (from China) not currently regulated

  

  Rising global emissions of some chlorine-containing chemicals could slow the progress made in healing the ozone layer. A study found the substances, widely used for paint stripping and in the manufacture of PVC, are increasing much faster than previously thought. Mainly produced in China, these compounds are not currently regulated.

• Friday, October 13th 2017 - 12:11 UTC

  Israel follows the US and will pull out of “highly politicized” UNESCO

  

  Israel has said it will join the US in pulling out of the UN's cultural organization Unesco, after US officials cited “anti-Israel bias”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the US decision as “brave and moral,” a statement said.

• Friday, October 13th 2017 - 12:04 UTC

  Recession ahead for UK economy, be it a soft or hard Brexit, forecasts leading investment bank

  

  The Conservative Party’s plans for a “no deal” hard Brexit would plunge the UK into immediate recession, cost the British economy £400 billion and wipe 18% off GDP growth by 2030, a leading investment bank has warned.

• Thursday, October 12th 2017 - 20:55 UTC

  Global food prices up 0.8% in September, according to FAO Index

  

  Global food prices rose slightly in September, as firmer prices of vegetable oils and to a lesser extent dairy products offset declining prices for staple cereal grains. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 178.4 points for the month of September, up 0.8% from August and marking a 4.3% increase from a year earlier.

• Thursday, October 12th 2017 - 18:50 UTC

  FAO calls on all countries to crack down on illegal fishing

  

  All countries should join the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) to make sure the landmark treaty aimed at cracking down on illegal fishing succeeds in its aims of ridding the world of a multibillion-dollar scourge that damages human nutrition and environmental sustainability, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said.